Split shingle and method of making same



' March 27, 1928. 1,663,905

F. L. DIETZ SPLIT SHINGLE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Dec. 10. 1926 7 \8 3. Frank L. Dz'eiz Patented lt/lar. 27, 1928.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK L. DIETZ, F SEATTLE, WASHINGTONgA SSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

ONE-HALF TO EDWIN H. LUKE, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

SILIT SHINGLE AND METHOD OFMAKING SAME.

Application filed December 10, 1926. Serial No. 153,889.

- My invention or discovery relatestothe art of splitting shingles, as distingulshed from shakes.

My invention has for its object the splitting, from a block of wood, of shingles which have the naturally split grain of the wood on both upper and lower surfaces, and wh ch taper substantially uniformly from a thlck butt to a thin tip.

My invention relates, therefore both to the method and to the product itself.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a typical shingle formed in accordance with my method and illustrate also, diagrammatically, the method itself.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shingle split but in accordance with my invention; Figure 2 is a side elevatlon thereof, and Figures 3 and 4 are sections on the respective lines 3-3 and 44: of Figure 2;

Figures 5 and 6 are, respectively, plan view and elevation, illustrating the first step of my method, and Figures 7 and 8 are like views of the second step.

In this specification the term shake will be used as meaning a board, split from a block of wood, with its'ends and its cross section through out generally of the same thickness. Such shakes, as commonly made 80 in the woods, are generally 36 inches in length, but may run from 24 to 40 inches long. The term shingle as used herein, will apply to a piece which is wedge shaped in longitudinal section, that is, thicker at the 35 butt than at the tip, and gradually tapering in thickness from butt to tip. Shingles have heretoforebeen made from shakes by shaving away one or both surfaces, generally one only,to produce a taper from 0 butt to tip. Hand-made shakes were commonly made by the pioneers for use on their cabins, and have proven serviceable for many ears, and where the desired to add a finishmg touch to their ca insor public buildings,

they not uncommonly used such shaved shingles, manufactured by hand-shaving such shakes. This method, however, wasted approximately half of the wood in the shake,

' and this wood, being first-class, vertical 5o grained stock, now has considerable value. It has, therefore, been proposed to saw shakes diagonally, as in the Runkle Patent, No. 1,577,935, and thus to form two shingles of one shake. This effected greater economy of materials, while leaving the'naturally rough in the roof, and it frequently resulte in the upper surface for effect and to provide draina e channels, as explained in Runkles s cihcation, but still left a sawed lower sur ace which could not in practice be left up ermost saw running out, not in the end of the shake, but rather short thereof, so that the tip of one shingle 'thus'formed was left uneven. This was generally due to the uneven surface of the shakes from which the shingles were formed. The patent toKing, No. 1,593,800, illustrates one attempt to overcome this disadvantage, but such shingles as Kings still have a sawed surface which should not be exposed inthe roof.

According to my discovery, the shingles are split directly from the block and are split tapering, so that no finishin action whatever is required, and so that l of the wood is used without waste, the tips being generally suificiently thick and even. Thus an economy both of wood and of labor is effected.

According to my method, I take a block of suitable wood, such as western red cedar, or any other wood which splits fairl evenly, the block being represented generally at 1 in the drawings, and employ a splitting or wedging instrument, of which the common frow represented at 2 is an example. This I place across the upper. end 3 of the block 1, spaced from one edge 4 by an amount equal to the thickness of butt desiredin the shingle. It is understood, of course, that the frow is so placed as to cut vertical grain shingles, for the method will not operate satisfactorily if cutting with a slash ain, the chief objection being that the split cannot be properly controlled, 7

With the frow thus laced, as in Figures 5 and 6, it is struck and driven sharply into the block, commencing a split in advance of the frow, as indicated at 5 in Figure 6. After the frow has been pushed a short distance into the wood, it is twisted to widen and extend the split 5, as is common in the use of such tools. This operation is repeated as often as may be re u1red,. enerally two or three times, as in 'cated y the frow marks 16 (Fi re 1). Upon the completion of this operatlon the shingle separates from the block, and it will be found that the split 5, instead of running parallel to the side 6. of the block has naturall tended to taper out toward the bottom 7 o the block, so that 110 it runs put in the end 7 closely adjacent the lower corner 8. This taper is generally the same throughout the length of the shingle thus split off, given a fairly straight-grained block to start with.

thicknessof butt desired in the shingle, is

driven into the block, commencing the split 5, and is then forced through the block, in the same manner as before, whereupon the split 5 tapers out towards the edge 4'. It will be understood that the corners 4 and 8 of Figure 6 are now in the shingle which was first split off, and that the corners 4 and 8 are the corresponding corners of the block .which remains.

The same process is repeated, reversing the block end for-end after splitting ofi each shingle, and each such shingle will split oil with a'substant-ially even taper and with two naturally rough split surfaces.

The method just described is a hand method, but it lends itself as readily to machine roduction. However, it is desired -to emp asize that the actionis a splitting one, one in which the fibers are torn or separated, commencing at an end and proceeding always in advance of the wedge-like frow or other splitting tool. It must be distinguished from any slicing or cutting method, whether cutting from the end or from the side of a block. The frow or its equivalent is purely a wedge, splittin and parting the fibers ahead of 1t, and its s arp edge is only used to enter the block, and to hold the frow in proper relation thereto when the entering blow is struck.

A method e uivalent to the hand method described W0 (1 consist in advancing the block towards the ath of a rec'iprocable frow or frows, w ereby the individual shingles are split off from a side of the block, commencin each time from alternate ends.

Such a s ingle is shown in Figures 1, 2, ,3 and 4. It will be noted in Figure 1 that the edge 11 of the shingle at the tip is straight, showing that the frow has entered here, and the diagonally opposite edge is strai ht. By reference to Figures 2 and 4, it wi 1 be seen that at the tip the upper surface of the shingle is fairly smooth, but that its under surface is uneven. This under surface was the inner side, that is, the side next to the block when this shingle was split off,

and was the lower end of the block at that time. The butt end, on the contrary, shows the upper edge 12 as uneven, and the lower edge 13 as straight and smooth, for here again the frow entered as it commenced the splitting of this particular shingle. Each such shlngle is vertical grained.

It is immaterial which side of such a shingleis placed uppermost, as both have the naturally split surface, thus offering natural channels, unmarred by feathers, such as are present in sawed shingles, down which channels the water may drain. Thus, instead of a shingle surface which may be placed uppermost, such shingles provide two such surfaces, and if the e gcs 14 and 15 are uneven, as shown best in Figure 3, that side may be placed uppermost which best fits with the adjoining shingles.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A shingle ta ered from butt to tip, and halvitng upper an lower surfaces naturally sp 1 2. A split shingle having a butt thick er than its tip, and both its faces presenting a naturally split rough surface.

3. A split shingle having a butt thicker than its tip, its upper and lower faces being generall plane, except as they present a naturally split rou h surface.

l. A split shingle tapering substantially uniformly from a thick butt to a thin tip, both its faces presenting a naturall spht, rough surface, the grain of the woo in the shingle being on edge with the faces and extending lengthwise of the shingle.

5. A split shingle tapering substantially uniformly from butt to tip, and both faces presenting a generally rough, naturally split surface, the end of one face near the tip, and of the opposite face near the butt being substantially plane, and merging into the rough surface.

6. A split shingle tapering from butt to tip, both faces presenting a generally rough, naturally s lit surface, the unction of one face with t e tip end, and of the other face with the butt end, being a straight ed e, and the faces merging gradually from suc edges into the naturall lit surfaces.

7. The metho o splitting shin les from a wooden block which consists in riving awedge into an end of the block, and spacedfrom its ed e by an amount equal tothe butt thickness esired, fore the wed e endwise through the block t en similar y driving and for-"in the wedge through the block at the same si e, but from the opposite end. 8.-The method of forming shingles from a block ofwood which consists in splitting individual .shingles alternately from opposite ends of the block.

9. The method of forming naturall tapered shingles from a block of wood whic consists in entering a wedge adjacent a side of theblock and forcing it through to split ofi' an individual shin 1e, and then repeating the same steps eac time from the opposite end of the block, until the block is consumed. I

10. The method of forming naturall tapered shingles from a block of wood whic consists in entering awedge lengthwise the grain, but transversely thereof, to form a vertical grain shingle, and forcing the wedge through the block to split off an individual shingle, and continuing these steps but ontering the wedge each time from the opposite end of the block.

11. The method of forming shingles from a block of Wood which consists in splitting an individual shingle from a side of the block, commencin at one end, then reversing the block en for end, and splitting a second individual shingle from the same side, but commencin at the opposite end,

then reversing the b ock and continuing as 7 before, splitting always from the same side but commencing each time from the opposite end. 5

"Signed 'at Seattle, Kin County, -Washington, this 24th day of ovember, 1926.

FRANK L. DIETZ. 

